Cited by 197Mental Health Treatment and AccessGender Roles and Identity StudiesPsychology and Mental Health

HOW DEFINITION OF MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS CAN INFLUENCE HELP SEEKING IN RURAL AND REMOTE COMMUNITIES

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Fuller, Jeff, Edwards, Jane, Procter, Nicholas, Moss, John·2000·Australian Journal of Rural Health

Abstract

The present study sought to understand the rural and remote influences on people’s identification of, and response to, mental health problems. Twenty‐two key informants living in northern and western South Australia were interviewed. They included mental health and generalist health professionals, other human service workers and mental health consumers. Three themes are reported here: reluctance to acknowledge mental health problems and the avoidance of appropriate help; stigma and the avoidance of mental health services; and the influence of rural and remote circumstances. Most informants considered that many mental health problems were amenable to help from generalist workers, with backup support from mental health specialists. Informants thought this intervention to be appropriate because a common view of mental health problems as ‘insanity’ and a culture of self‐reliance created a reluctance to seek help from a mental health specialist. These themes need to be taken into account when designing mental health interventions for rural and remote communities.

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Crossref · 10.1046/j.1440-1584.2000.00303.x

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  • Availability of services and trained mental health professionals are major barriers to access in rural and remote Australia.

    “Availability of services and trained mental health professionals are major barriers to access in rural and remote Australia [14,17].”

    From Computerized cognitive behavior therapy for anxiety and depression in rural areas:a systematic review (2015) · cites this paper as [17]

    The Introduction (page unavailable) says a dearth of mental health services in rural and remote areas makes appropriate care difficult to access. The Conclusions recommend support from mental health specialists for generalist workers, but the paper does not clearly identify a shortage of trained mental health professionals as a separate access barrier. (LLM, conf=0.84)

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  • Other barriers may include cultural norms around stoicism and not wanting to show vulnerability, denial, poor mental health literacy, stigma around mental illness and mental health service use, and the financial and personal demands required of treatment.

    “Other barriers may include cultural norms around stoicism and not wanting to show vulnerability, denial, poor mental health literacy, stigma around mental illness and mental health service use, and the financial and personal demands required of treatment [6,17,19].”

    From Computerized cognitive behavior therapy for anxiety and depression in rural areas:a systematic review (2015) · cites this paper as [17]

    The sections “Culture of self-reliance,” “Reluctance to acknowledge mental health problems and avoidance of appropriate help,” and “Stigma and the avoidance of mental health services” support stoicism, reluctance to acknowledge distress, limited recognition of mental health problems, and stigma as barriers to seeking help. “Economic circumstances” describes financial hardship, but not financial or personal demands required by treatment. Page numbers are unavailable in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.87)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • Rural residents tend to be more stoic and self-reliant and to prefer managing their own health problems.

    “It has also been argued that rural residents are more 'stoic and self-reliant' 13 and prefer to manage their own health problems. 14-16”

    From Internet-based mental health programs: A powerful tool in the rural medical kit (2007) · cites this paper as [13]

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

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Authors
Fuller, J., Edwards, J., Procter, N., & Moss, J.
Affiliations
  • University of South Australia (AU)
  • The University of Adelaide (AU)
Venue
Australian Journal of Rural Health
Publisher
Wiley
Published
2000-06
Volume
8
Issue
3
Pages
148-153
ISSN
  • 1038-5282 (ISSN-L)
  • 1440-1584
OpenAlex
W1969370160
Cited by
197
References
7
Citations by year
2026: 7 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 9 · 2021: 12 · 2020: 11 · 2019: 13 · 2018: 10 · 2017: 8 · 2016: 9 · 2015: 10 · 2014: 8 · 2013: 9 · 2012: 12
FWCI
5.79
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Australian Journal of Rural Health (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Adelaide Research & Scholarship (AR&S) (University of Adelaide) (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Mental Health Treatment and Access
  • Social Sciences › Gender Studies › Gender Roles and Identity Studies
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychology and Mental Health
Keywords
help-seeking, mental illness, remote rural areas, mental health stigma, mental health services, self-reliance, mental health interventions, South Australia
MeSH terms
Australia, Mental Disorders, Community Mental Health Services, Freedom, Humans, Patient Acceptance of Health Care, Rural Population, Stereotyping, Rural Health Services

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